Tiger Woods underwent fixation surgery on his right ankle Wednesday morning to alleviate arthritis from a broken bone, so it’s doubtful he’ll play any more majors this year.
Woods revealed the surgery twitter And he said it was a subtalar fusion to address post-traumatic arthritis when he fractured his talus in February 2021.
“He is currently resting and will start the recovery process,” Marc Steinberg, an agent for Excel Sports, said in a telephone interview.
The surgery took place in New York, and Steinberg said Woods returned to his home near Jupiter, Fla., to begin rehab.
As for when Woods can return to golf, Steinberg said he has “no timetable.”
“The first goal is to recover and live a more enjoyable daily life,” he said.
In February 2021, Woods was driving an SUV that crashed off a coastal road outside Los Angeles at about 135 mph and fell down a hillside, shattering multiple bones in his right leg and ankle. Woods said his injuries were so severe that his doctors considered amputation.
Woods had multiple surgeries on his leg as a result of the car accident.His ankle has caused most of his recent problems, most recently with a noticeable limp when playing four of his last five majors, including the Masters two weeks ago..
The talus is the second largest bone in the group of bones known as the tarsus and forms the lower part of the ankle joint and transfers body weight from the lower leg to the foot. The subtalar joint allows the lateral movement necessary for walking, especially on uneven ground.
Most estimates put recovery from subtalar fusion at 8 to 12 weeks. That meant there would be no next month’s PGA Championship, but Woods was skeptical anyway, given that it was held in Oak Hill, Rochester, New York, and was probably cold.
The US Open will be held at the Los Angeles Country Club from June 15-18, and the Open Championship will be held three months later (July 20-23) at Royal Liverpool, England.
Fourteen months after the car accident, Woods made an improbable return to play in the Masters, walking 72 holes. Notably, he withdrew after three rounds at last year’s PGA Championship, and again this year at the rain-delayed Masters, withdrawing midway through the third round, but he missed out on last summer’s All-Star Tournament at St Andrews. Only one match at the British Open.
Woods, who missed the Masters because of plantar fasciitis, tied the record with his 23rd appearance. Plantar fasciitis was also cited when he had to withdraw from the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December, which he said was caused by working too hard to prepare for the fight. .
Jason Day said at the Masters that Woods told him the reason he pulled out of last year’s PGA Championship was “because the screw went through the skin.”
Woods has had five previous back surgeries. This included fusion surgery on his lower spine to allow him to return to play. He won a Tour Championship in 2018, won his 15th major championship at the 2019 Masters, and tied Sam Snead’s career record for his 82nd PGA at the ZOZO Championship in Japan in Fall 2019. won the tour title.
In numerous interviews, he said it wasn’t about hitting the shot, it was about walking to the next shot. Woods also said his own schedule would be limited to majors and could be limited to a few other matches, including the 36-hole PNC Championship, where he can ride in a cart with his son. also said.
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